Fifty years from now, the sun is dying, and mankind is dying with it. Our last hope: a spaceship and a crew of eight men and women. They carry a device which will breathe new life into the star. But deep into their voyage, out of radio… MoreFifty years from now, the sun is dying, and mankind is dying with it. Our last hope: a spaceship and a crew of eight men and women. They carry a device which will breathe new life into the star. But deep into their voyage, out of radio contact with Earth, their mission is starting to unravel. There is an accident, a fatal mistake, and a distress beacon from a spaceship that disappeared seven years earlier. Soon the crew is fighting not only for their lives, but their sanity.

Consensus:
Danny Boyle continues his descent into mind-twisting sci-fi madness, taking us along for the ride. Sunshine fulfills the dual requisite necessary to become classic sci-fi: dazzling visuals with intelligent action.

"Sunshine's" mostly cerebral adventure into unquantifiable science and human nature makes its huh-what conclusion more forgivable. Loopy as it gets, once the Icarus II sets a course for the heart of the sun, "Sunshine" becomes a head-trip and a half.

A new sci fi movie that i hadnt heard about but was better than i expected.

Wildaly M

Memorable and intelligent.

Daniel Mumby

The last five years have been very kind to Danny Boyle. Since 2008 he has enjoyed a wave of critical acclaim, with the Oscar success of Slumdog Millionaire,… MoreThe last five years have been very kind to Danny Boyle. Since 2008 he has enjoyed a wave of critical acclaim, with the Oscar success of Slumdog Millionaire, nominations for 127 Hours, and the rapturous reception for his opening and closing ceremonies for the London Olympics. His most recent film, Trance, sees Boyle kicking back just a little bit, to indulge himself and enjoy his success.
Lest we forget, however, that film is an unstable and unpredictable business; there is no road map to booming box office or Oscar glory. Slumdog Millionaire was originally going to go straight-to-video, only seeing the light of day after a last-minute deal with Fox Searchlight. The year before, Boyle delivered Sunshine, a thought-provoking science fiction film with a great cast - that promptly underperformed after being released on the hottest day of the year. Six years on, the film still has its problems, but it remains an impressive cinematic experience.
Even if nothing else about it worked, Sunshine is a visually arresting film containing moments of beauty and splendour. The film is shot by Alwin H. Kuchler, who worked on Michael Winterbottom on The Claim and Code 46. He makes very conscious choices with the colour palette to juxtapose the interior of Icarus II with the loneliness of space. Inside the ship the screen is dominated by greens and blues that put us at ease, so that when we cut to the bright yellow sun, it feels like it is invading us. It's a very effective ploy of both making the crews' behaviour seem natural and conveying the devastating power of a dying star.
Other aspects of the production design are equally arresting. So many sci-fi films have space suits that feel like direct copies of NASA suits, often out of a desire for realism and direct comparison with our society. The suits in Sunshine, nicknamed 'Kenny suits' after their resemblance to the South Park character, are far more unusual and bespoke; they are showcased for their advanced technology, but also their shortcomings, with characters falling over due to their weight. The design of the Icarus spacecraft is a similar case of verisimilitude; we think we recognise details from Silent Running or Event Horizon, but it still feels like an original design.
Not only does Sunshine look good, it is also effectively directed. Boyle uses subliminal imagery in the form of quick cuts when the crew enters the Icarus I, putting us on edge and forcing us to second-guess ourselves. More effective, however, is the rendition of Pinbacker, who serves as the hyper-stylised intruder to this gritty vision of space.
Boyle shot Mark Strong's scenes with two lenses simultaneously, on in and one out of focus, and then overlaid the images in post-production. The resulting blurry effect puts us in an area of panic, withholding the villain in plain sight and making him more frightening. Even as we see him right in front of us, we get only the merest hint of his face or the extent of his burns. As a result he increases in power and takes on a more mythical, demonic quality, being much more Hellraiser than Hallowe'en.
There is a very conscious effort on Boyle's part to situate Sunshine in the pantheon of classic science fiction. While it is a product of its time in its budget, effects and directorial style, the works it draws upon are all at the smarter, bleaker, more introspective end of the sci-fi genre. There are big hints of Alien in the blue-collar surroundings and the various hierarchies that spring up within the crew. Pinbacker's character is a direct nod to John Carpenter's Dark Star, which subsequent led to Alien. If you were feeling facetious, you could speculate that this character is what Sergeant Pinback could have become had he survived past the end credits.
Like Alien and Event Horizon after it, the plot of Sunshine centres around the terrifying consequences of answering a distress call, though the monster in this case is a lot less Freudian or rooted in body horror. The airlock sequence is a straightforward nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey, while the scenes in the oxygen garden are clearly inspired by Silent Running, with Michelle Yeoh standing in for Bruce Dern.
There are also thematic nods to Solaris in the crew's memories of Earth, and their troubling dreams of their families back home. And in its final reel the film does embrace or invoke many conventions of the slasher movie sub-genre. But where a lesser film would channel these without bringing anything new to the table, Sunshine raises a number of interesting ideas of its own. Not all of them are explored fully or resolved to a satisfying degree, but until its final act it is very much a thinking person's sci-fi film.
One such theme that keeps cropping up is finding or perceiving beauty in acts of great destruction. This is most evident in Pinbacker, who believes that allowing the human race to die out is part of God's plan. But the other characters reflect this idea too, albeit in ways that are far more equivocal. Capa reflects on the Sun as something that simultaneously kills and brings life; he is drawn to understanding how something can inspire such awe in the face of possible malice.
The film also explores the ethics of suicide and despair, something borne out in both Trey's fate and that of the human race. Capa's confidence in the mission and its eventual success is contrasted with the reluctance of the crew and the extremism of Pinbacker. Both take the failure of Icarus I to mean that death is increasingly the only option, differing merely on how and when they wish to die.
Within this there is a discussion of the interests of the many versus those of the few. After a near-miss that leads to Kaneda's death and Trey's suicidal tendencies, the crew speculate about how best to conserve the oxygen. In doing so the films raises a number of interesting questions. Does prioritising the needs of the many actually erode our humanity - for instance, agreeing to kill Trey to have enough oxygen to deliver the payload? If so, are we losing the very thing that the payload is designed to preserve? Is there any point surviving if we have no morals or ideals to survive for?
The film also delves into theology, using both the mission and the villain as focal points for a discussion of God's nature. The Sun symbolises God, something or someone that can simultaneously be viewed as a benevolent creator or a needlessly vindictive tormentor. Boyle described Pinbacker as the embodiment of fundamentalism; where Capa uses the circumstances to shape his ideas through scientific observation, Pinbacker forces his ideas onto the circumstances and will not be dissuaded from his calling.
But much like Life of Pi last year, this is the point where Sunshine starts losing its grip. Both films are feasts for the senses which feel amazing when you watch them, but both are intellectually and theologically undernourished. There are lots of interesting jumping-on points, but none of them are fully seized upon. There is a difference between developing a sense of ambiguity and idly raising ideas in the hope of seeming profound, and Sunshine settles for the latter just a little too much.
The film's scientific inaccuracies have been widely documented, and for the most part the objections are valid: you couldn't 'restart' a sun with a bomb the size of Manhattan. But this is not a problem for the most part, since the science is a backdrop for an examination of themes and morals pertaining to the human condition. It becomes a problem in the final section, when the film shifts into horror territory and common sense is suspended in order to kill the cast and blow things up. The film suffers from the same basic problem as Event Horizon: it builds to great heights, and then takes the easy way out.
Sunshine is an engrossing and visually arresting film which delivers on enough of its substance to make it worth the trip. While it doesn't fulfil on all of its ideas or end in a way that's entirely satisfying, it is a well-directed slice of sci-fi melancholy which will burn its way into your memory. If nothing else it proves it is still possible to make sci-fi films about ideas - even if it took more than 8 minutes for audiences to catch on.

vieras esine

Would have been so much better without the whole Pinbacker nonsense. Still, quite stunning.

Apeneck Fletcher

Boyle's entry to the space opera category begins well; crew introduction, personality dynamics, and plot direction, only the finale gets murky as the… MoreBoyle's entry to the space opera category begins well; crew introduction, personality dynamics, and plot direction, only the finale gets murky as the mission to save the Earth gets closer to resolution, as the ship gets closer to the sun.Still a worthy effort.

Fascinating and yet so extremely bone-chilling and blood shaking. Poignant and yet so deeply twisted and brutal. This one had me on the edge throughout, and… MoreFascinating and yet so extremely bone-chilling and blood shaking. Poignant and yet so deeply twisted and brutal. This one had me on the edge throughout, and what an experience it was to have to watch those oh so anxiety ridden and despairing scenes and yet achieve to be so emotional, with a little bit of the philosophical here and there. The images are fascinating and so grimly harrowing and poetically imprinted.

Albert Kim

The follow-up to the ending makes it one of the best films ever. The pacing, the smart script, and the enthralling plot truly makes this movie a sci-fi movie… MoreThe follow-up to the ending makes it one of the best films ever. The pacing, the smart script, and the enthralling plot truly makes this movie a sci-fi movie that stands out of the pact... but the ending descends the movie tremendously. Still, the movie is a must watch.

Dan Schultz

A remarkable, completely mesmerizing under-seen film from Danny Boyle about a group of eight astronauts sent up into space in hopes of reviving a dying sun 50… MoreA remarkable, completely mesmerizing under-seen film from Danny Boyle about a group of eight astronauts sent up into space in hopes of reviving a dying sun 50 years into the future by setting off a nuclear bomb the size of Manhattan Island inside it. Everybody complains about the last 1/3 of this film, and I'm not quite sure why. Yes, it undergoes a dramatic shift in tone but I for one found it to add yet another thrilling layer to an already intense story. Cillian Murphy's all-out turn drives this film for the most part, with nice support from his supporting cast. More importantly, this thing is just beautiful to look at. The one thing I would complain about would be a lack of character development (then again, you could say the same thing for "Alien" and other classics, too, which I love) and an unclear look at why the main villain in the film chooses to do what he does. Still, as violent as the tone change might be and as underdeveloped or undercooked some of Boyle's and writer Alex Garland's ideas might look at times, this picture makes up for these shortcomings and some by providing a ridiculously hypnotizing story and action on-screen. The ending is both tragic and fitting, with an epic score to complement the orange waves of the beautiful sun captured in full-scope. I for one really, really like this movie.

Spencer Macklin

Good visuals and performances make up for a weak final third

KJ Proulx

"Sunshine" is definitely not for everyone, but if the right target audience has a chance to feast their eyes upon this film, they might just be blown… More"Sunshine" is definitely not for everyone, but if the right target audience has a chance to feast their eyes upon this film, they might just be blown away like I was. The sun has been burning out for years, and after a failed attempt by a ship called Icarus 1, a team will once again try to improve upon the tactics. Icarus 2 is now a go, and it becomes a race for the loss of oxygen and time. The entire cast, especially Cillian Murphy is jaw-dropping. Most of the time, I felt like I was watching a documentary at what real life astronauts go through on a day-to-day basis, but by saying all of this, I am completely and utterly overshadowing the amount of soul that this film delivers. By the end of the film, you will literally be in tears. I can't explain my love for this film, but it is one of my favourite Sci-Fi films! "Sunshine" is brilliant!

Phil Hubbs

Strange one this, hard to decide I'm kinda on the fence over it.
First of all the film looks good, they have definitely taken pages out of the… MoreStrange one this, hard to decide I'm kinda on the fence over it.
First of all the film looks good, they have definitely taken pages out of the 'Alien' book for the look and feel of Sunshine. Its very much a bunch of everyday working astros living together to get a job done, even down to the 'sitting around a table drinking and talking' scenes which hark back to the 'Alien' scenes just before Mr Hurt has some bad indigestion.
The acting is stable, nothing great but good and the whole idea, though slightly implausible I must add, is a nice one and is brought alive really well, its space but not too stupid like 'Armageddon'.
The problem is its alittle dull for most of the time, all wind and not much fart and I did tend to lose the plot. It doesn't explain itself to well, and I found in alot of places its actually difficult to see what's going on because its so dark and the camera is flying about the place with flashbacks or what someones thinking, alittle surreal here and there. The secondary plot about one of the other spaceships crew going nuts and killing everyone is poor and doesn't fit the story frankly, again they are borrowing ideas and styles from other films such as 'Hellraiser' and 'Event Horizon'. This spoils the whole thing as it becomes a cheesy horror flick all of a sudden, if they had stayed to the more sensible side of things it would have been so much better.
I think it may grow on me, its quite good but not as good as I hoped, still I recommend it.